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If there ever was a lose-lose proposition, this is it. It is a loss for the US, for Iran and for our allies. It may also be a win for Russia, in the long term.

So many experts have stated the most obvious reason for staying in the agreement – Iran was in compliance with the terms of the agreement. The agreement called for the release of Iranian funds that the US and other countries had frozen. The US did not get everything it wanted from the accords, but it got the really important part – Iran would not be building a nuclear weapon any time soon.

Moreover, if we’ve learned anything from history, it is that unilateral sanctions don’t work. They certainly were a failure in Cuba and Libya.

It is a major win for the hardliners in Iran, who will wage a narrowly focused campaign against the US. They will likely blame Iran’s economic problems on new US sanctions, instead of needed reforms. The losers will be the Iranian people not the Mullahs. Had the Iranian nuclear deal continued with the US support, there would have been no guarantees that the moderates in the country would succeed in reforms, but now, with the help of Trump, the hardliners have new ammunition against any progressive program for disarmament.

It makes North Korean discussions more difficult. How can North Korea trust us, when we break our word with Iran. Bad all around, in my opinion.

Opening of our embassy in Jerusalem:

The US ignored the Palestinian claim to Jerusalem, and with it, lost any chance of being a fair broker in peace negotiations. After a UN vote condemning the move, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, held a reception for “Friends of the US” and I’m not sure who went. The invitees were the countries that either voted against the UN resolution condemning the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. There are only four countries with a population of over one million people who voted against the resolution – Israel, Guatemala, Honduras and of course, the US.

The opinion piece by columnist Dana Milbank, summed up my thoughts on the “peace” celebration in Israel, entitled, “Nothing says ‘peace’ like 58 dead Palestinians.” Jerusalem was to be a city to be shared between Palestinians and Israels, as a result of peace negotiations.

“The move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv could have been a moment of unity and brotherhood. Instead, as with most everything Trump touches, it became a symbol of division and bitterness. It could have been the capstone of a peace deal, as Republican and Democratic administrations alike had hoped. Instead, it all but dashed hope for a two-state solution.”

Israel invited representatives from all 86 countries with consulates in Israel to attend opening ceremonies, but only 32 attended. Of the 54 countries absent from the opening ceremony were France, UK, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, India, China, Russia and Australia. In South America, only Peru and Paraguay attended. Like the “Friends of the US” reception in January 2018, a lot of familiar friends are not with us. See links